As reported to ECDC by Belgian authorities, on 2 September 2014, following a human error, 45 litres of concentrated live polio virus solution were released into the environment by the pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in Rixensart city, Belgium. The liquid was conducted directly to a water-treatment plant (Rosieres) and released after treatment in river Lasne affluent of river Dyle which is affluent of the Escaut/Scheldt river. Belgium’s High Council of Public Health conducted a risk assessment that concluded that the risk of infection for the population exposed to the contaminated water is extremely low due to the high level of dilution and the high vaccination coverage (95%) in Belgium.

snip

ECDC's assessment is that the accidental release in the environment of large amounts of live polio virus represents a risk to public health if susceptible populations, such as areas with low polio vaccine coverage, are exposed to contaminated waters or mud. Particularly since the Lasne and Dyle rivers are joining the Escaut/Scheldt river which flows in the southwestern part of the Netherlands where various orthodox protestant communities present a lower polio vaccination coverage, before reaching the North Sea.

what kind of human error releases 45 liters of concentrated polio virus
into a water supply.

I did a quick search and did not see this here yet so I am posting this.
we hear about people who stiff wait staff. so when I saw this I thought
I would post it.

Makenzie and Steven Schultz of Cedar Rapids, Iowa hired a babysitter Saturday night and headed to a new restaurant in town to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Despite a dining experience that "sucked," the couple left a $100 tip for the server on a bill of $66.65 to emphasize they knew it wasn't his fault.
"We've both been in your shoes. Paying it forward," Makenzie wrote on the receipt.

snip

She later shared a photo of the bill on Facebook (FB, Tech30) with a post that concluded: "I'm just sharing this as a friendly reminder to think of the entire situation before you judge. And always always always remember where you came from."

snip

Just how terrible was the meal? It "took 20 minutes to get water, 40 minutes for an appetizer and over an hour for an entree," Makenzie said in the Facebook post.
She also told CNNMoney that one couple actually walked out of the restaurant and another ran up to the hostess booth to warn a friend not to eat there.
But the Schultzes looked around the restaurant and realized something: There was only one waiter serving 12 tables, and he was doubling as the bartender too.
Makenzie and Steven have had those kind of nights. They met when they were both waiters at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in the Mall of America in Minnesota.

snip

They know that sometimes the kitchen messes up or someone calls in sick and it's not the waiter's fault, but guests still blame the server, often leaving horrible tips."Steven and I agreed it would feel good to make this guy's night when he would probably be getting minimal to no tips due to slow service," she wrote in the Facebook post that displayed the bill (but omitted the name of the restaurant).

I thought this was excellent - and am posting this for something positive.

Ayala, 31, is accused of voting in local and state elections in districts she did not live, the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
The arrest warrant affidavit also alleges Ayala provided fabricated evidence to state Election Enforcement Commission investigators that showed she lived at an address in a district where she voted while actually living outside the district, according to the release.

snip

Ayala, who represents the 128th District, was elected in 2012, replacing her cousin, Andres Ayala, who was elected to the state Senate. She chose to run for reelection earlier this year, despite the voting fraud investigation, but lost a four-way primary in August.

snip

Ayala allegedly voted in various Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee elections, a municipal primary election and a state primary election between 2009 and 2012 in districts inconsistent with the location of her residence, according to the release. She is also accused of voting in the Bridgeport state general election in 2012 in a district where she didn’t live.

snip

Christina Ayala was charged with eight counts of fraudulent voting, 10 counts of primary or enrollment violations and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
According to the release, fraudulent voting is a felony punishable by not less than one year or more than two years in prison and a fine of $300 to $500 per count. Primary or enrollment violations and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence are class D felonies carrying a maximum prison sentence of up to five years per count.

Oscar Pistorius has been found not guilty of murdering Reeva Steenkamp.
The stunning development was revealed as Judge Thokozile Masipa read her summation of the evidence Thursday in front of a packed courthouse in Pretoria, South Africa, and a worldwide television audience.

Masipa has yet to hand down her final decision, which will come Friday. She did reveal in the waning moments of Thursday's summation that she determined Pistorious to have been "negligent," which means he could still be found guilty of culpable homicide, a conviction that comes with a maximum of 15 years in prison but carries no mandatory jail sentence.
"He acted too hastily and used excessive force," Masipa said.
Pistorius also faces gun charges that carry potential prison sentences.

Oscar Pistorius reacts during judgment at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. (REUTERS)
But a murder charge is out, for the time being anyway. The prosecution can appeal the decision and, if they do, Pistorius could still be convicted of murder, according to legal experts contacted by Yahoo Sports.

All along, the prosecution pressed for a conviction for cold-blooded murder. But the Blade Runner has always maintained it was a tragic accident, that he shot his girlfriend in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's morning last year in a moment of terror, believing that he was protecting them both from an intruder locked behind a bathroom door.

had my semi annual qual.
passed everything. However I need
to practice more. we do not get the range
time we need IMHO. so I have been going
to a private range, which has helped
but I need to do it more.

weapon my score passing score

pistol 9mm Glock 17 258 240

M-4 Bushmaster 5.56 274 270

12 ga w/ slugs 10 / 11 08

this is based on the 300 scoring system
pistol is 25 yds and in
rifle is 50 yds and in
shotgun is 25 and 50 yds.

we shoot 2x a year and get very little practice as the company
doesn't want to pay OT ...
but I am good for another 6 mos.

was defeated in the Primary. I was stationed in Hawaii when he went to
the HoR. I thought he did a good job.
the people in Hawaii must not have liked him or maybe they
liked David Yutaka Ige better.
anyone from Hawaii know what happened?
where did Abercrombie mess up?

at boy was it good.
she has been making it for herself
for a week now, so today she made it
for me. spinach, almonds, almond milk, honey, blueberries, bananas
it looked awful dark and thick like someone forgot to do
an oil change! but it was very tasty.
had it about 1100 and I think it is a nice lunch.

BERLIN (AP) - German lawmakers on Thursday approved the introduction of the country's first national minimum wage, a triumph for its main center-left party that a long-skeptical Chancellor Angela Merkel described as a "painful" political compromise.

Most workers in Europe's biggest economy will be guaranteed at least 8.50 euros ($11.60) per hour under the legislation, which takes effect Jan. 1. Some employers will have two years to phase in the minimum wage; under-18s will be exempted, as will the long-term unemployed for six months after they return to work.

Merkel's government took the step at the insistence of her coalition partners since last December, the center-left Social Democrats. They joined the government after Merkel's conservatives won elections last year but fell short of a parliamentary majority.

Labor Minister Andrea Nahles, a Social Democrat, said 3.7 million people would benefit directly from the minimum wage, which she said "brings a bit more fairness to business and society and makes Germany stronger."
Lawmakers voted 535-5 with 61 abstentions in favor of the minimum wage Thursday.